


A Blanket Of Stars

by apellai



Category: High School Musical (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mentions of homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 11:49:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11736456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apellai/pseuds/apellai
Summary: Ryan reflects.





	A Blanket Of Stars

**Author's Note:**

> okay this is my first HSM fic so it's not too involved, i just wanted to get a grasp on writing HSM. it's not beta'd, so if you notice anything that doesn't look right, you can let me know!

Ryan’s always been a fan of stars. Not celebrities, though that applies, too - he loves  _ the _ stars. He doesn’t get a clear view of them often, living in Albuquerque, but the chances he gets to sit out under the stars, getting lost in clusters of glittery specks, those chances are special. One time he thinks about sharing it with Sharpay, but he soon realizes that she would talk and ruin the moment and get upset that she’s outside without the sun. Figures. Prima donna.

So now, he’s sitting under the stars. He’d just been graciously given the Stardazzle by his loving sister, and though he loves a good party, he needed a minute to himself. To reflect.

He thinks about this summer. It’s been… strange. He left school thinking he’s going to do the same as every year: spa days with Shar, golf with Dad, trying to stay closeted in front of Dad, Dad keeps straightening his hat and that’s annoying, doing yoga with Mom, generally being a boring rich boy and getting bossed around by his sister. He expected to be able to ignore his classmates, save for Troy, who seems to always be in his life, whether he likes it or not.

He was wrong.

The summer was a whirlwind of emotion - when the Wildcats arrived at Lava Springs, Ryan was almost terrified. The one place where he can relax and be fairly gay in peace(when Dad’s not around, of course), and his classmates invade. Perfect.

He found out that the team… wasn’t as bad as they seemed. The guys are mostly tall and masculine, so Ryan assumed they were a load of jerks like the kinds who call him names and make dick-sucking jokes at him. Again, he was wrong - everyone was nice to him for the most part. Gabriella was good at putting him at ease, and he felt like he was gonna cry when she asked him to come to the game. Nobody ever included him in, well, anything. Anything that wasn’t involving his sister.

And seeing Chad in the baseball uniform, god - Ryan was almost knocked out by the sight of Danforth with his hair up. They argued back and forth a while about dancing, and Ryan put up a good fight but still lost the game, but Chad eased that sting. And they ended up in the locker room, play-fighting in a very-not-gay-way, and they messed around enough for Ryan to be able to say, “Hey, you’d look good in this,” and throw Chad his top while he steal’s Chad’s uniform and hat. And he hates baseball caps, but it was worth it, because Chad really did look good in the all-white getup, and it  _ totally _ didn’t make Ryan’s heart thump like a jackhammer. And neither did the way Chad grabbed the ball out of his hand, and neither did the way they sat arm-to-arm and Ryan could swear he felt Chad’s body heat up.

And after that game, everything was more or less history. People didn’t really  _ hate _ him, he guesses. They were probably wary of him, because of Sharpay. Hopefully. He never really intended to be mean, he just let his sister boss him around, which, in hindsight, was probably stupid considering she doesn’t really have any power over him aside from shrill screaming. Maybe Dad would get a little pissed off if Ryan pissed off Sharpay, but Mom would keep him from getting in too much trouble. So Ryan taught the Wildcats how to dance, and Chad is really a much better dancer than he gives himself credit for, but Ryan still offered private lessons so that they can goof off together without getting in too much trouble for it.

And now, Ryan is sitting on a golf course at the country club, looking up at a blanket of stars, holding an award he’s never really been allowed to touch, feeling a warmth in his tummy that he’s never really allowed himself to have. He wonders if this is love, or if this is what real happiness feels like, but doesn’t ponder it too long - he instead lets it sink in that now, now he has friends(he always had Kelsi of course, but they never got  _ that _ close), and his sister said he was talented, and he has a potential boyfriend, and life is pretty good in a way he never thought possible.

He hears shuffling behind him, but doesn’t bother looking back, and then Chad plops down next to him. They make eye contact, but don’t say anything. Chad smiles, bright and blinding, and Ryan gives a shy half-smile back, before looking back up at the sky and trying to count the thousands of stars. And then Ryan feels fingers on the hand that he’s resting on, and before long, Chad and Ryan are holding hands, Chad’s head on Ryan’s shoulder, and  _ this - _ this feels  _ right. _ Ryan feels his cheeks heat up, and he can’t help but smile as he rests his head on top of Chad’s.

“Hey,” Chad whispers. It’s barely audible over the party on the other side of the curtain.

“Hey?”

Chad pauses at first. “... Thanks.”

Ryan hums and nods his head, though he doesn’t really understand why Chad is thanking him.

“For teaching me. How to dance. Y’know. I, uh, I know I was being kinda mean at first. And I’m sorry. So thanks… for not hating me, I guess.” He’s shaking a little, visibly and audibly nervous, so Ryan squeezes his hand, hoping to ease the tension. It works. Chad relaxes.

Ryan turns his head and plants a kiss atop Chad’s head, though he does realize that there’s a lot more hair there than what he thought. It tickles his nose.

Chad pulls his head up and stares for a few seconds, and Ryan notices his eyelashes - is that even legal? To have eyelashes that long?

And then they crash together in a kiss that’s mostly tooth and nose and neither of them  _ really _ know how to kiss but they sure are trying. After a moment of awkward maneuvering, they both pull away and stare again, then burst into laughter. “God, okay, yeah, that was a disaster,” Ryan manages between giggle fits.

“You can’t blame me for that. I’ve never kissed a guy before!”

“Neither have I!” This summer is full of new things, huh?

So they try again, and this time it’s not quite as awkward - they’re both well aware of where the other’s nose is, and are careful to avoid teeth. And it’s good, and there Ryan’s heart goes again - it races, maybe to catch up with Chad’s, and he feels electricity in his hands where they lock with Chad’s.

They kiss under the stars, and this summer is shaping up to be the best ever.


End file.
